


you and i might just be the best thing

by freshia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, Inter-House Relationships, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, awkward 15 year olds being 15 year olds, gryffindor-slytherin relations, its SO MUCH FLUFF, levi is fed up, like 8000 words of pure fluff ok, lots of harry potter throwbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 15:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1392235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freshia/pseuds/freshia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin and she's bad at Charms and he almost gets trampled by a Hippogriff, once.  //  "This time Farlan notices her first, the rubies on the necklace he picked out for her shining bright in the dimness of the corridor and setting off her red hair like a horizon sunset."</p>
<p>(Hogwarts AU; Farlan/Isabel oneshot)</p>
            </blockquote>





	you and i might just be the best thing

**Author's Note:**

> FOR SHAKY. thank you for being the farlan to my isabel (your farlan is awesome).

 

She’s just beginning her third year-- 13 years old, when they meet.

Except at first he doesn’t see her, pressed up against a wall and hardly breathing while he walks past. He’s too caught up in whatever he’s doing to notice her, but she catches everything. His slightly turned down lips, dirty-blonde hair that flipped at the end, even the emblem on his cape. _Slytherin_ , it tells her, and he’s too young to be a teacher or prefect and she can almost _bet_ that he’s up to no good, wandering around the castle after hours..

(Nevermind what _she_ was doing, lurking around.)

So she follows him.

Follows him from corridor to corridor, as he walks aimlessly and just as she’s thinking about giving up her pursuit he finally pauses, leans against a railing and sighs.

(And it throws her off guard, he’s a Slytherin-- shouldn’t he be trying to sneak out or be casting some hex or trying to take over the world? Not pausing in the middle of a hallway, sighing like some kind of depressed--)

“Not very good at bein’ sneaky, are ya?”

The voice makes her jump and bump into a wall and she thinks she hears one of the paintings  _titter_ at her. He’s staring directly at her and she scowls, stepping forward to cross her arms. “Says the person who allows someone to follow them around after curfew.”

“Who said I was allowin’ it?”

“You didn’t try and stop me.”

The boy rolls his eyes. “I think it’s way past your bedtime. What are ya, a first year?”

“Third!” Isabel snaps, then lowers her voice to a hiss when he puts a finger to his lips. “And it’s past everyone’s bedtime, including yours. I could report you for it and get points taken away--”

“-- And explain what you were doin’ outside to see me?” he smirks when she goes silent. “I think it’s probably best that neither of us mention this.”

She stands still, both of them staring at each other in the darkness before she grins.

“I’m Isabel.”

“Farlan.”

That’s the last thing they say to each other that night before another set of footsteps drives them to scramble in opposite directions.

(It’s a beginning.)

 

x

 

Isabel finds out Farlan is a third year too when she’s paired up with him for Charms class, after Levi cuts and leaves her partnerless.

(Which is too bad, because they’re learning the Cheering Charm today and sometimes Isabel thinks he could really use it.)

“I’m really, really terrible at this class.”

She tells Farlan the truth and looks him in the eye when she says it, because he deserves to know in case she focuses too much and sends him to a laughter-filled grave. He grunts and suggests that maybe _he_ should go first-- but she’s having absolutely none of that because if either of them was going to stared at for uncontrollable laughter, it was going to be him.

Isabel inhales, points her wand, states the incantation and holds her breath.

He looks pensive before the spell hits him, but then his slight frown melts away to the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

She blinks once, twice, before bursting out into a grin herself.

“It worked!?”

“... Yeah.”

There’s a brief pause and then she’s rushing over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He’s taken aback but the charm is still working it’s magic so he just kind of stands there and waits for her to back off.

“By the way, I’ve never seen you smile but it fits you. You should do it more!”

“You just smile too much.”

She sticks her tongue out at him in response and he grins once more. This time, without magic.

 

x

 

Farlan and Levi meet on the first trip to Hogsmeade when Isabel spots him by himself, and drags Levi along to go say hi.

“This is that Slytherin that was creeping around outside that I told you about,” probably isn’t the best way to introduce two people, but she can just tell by the way that Levi responds to him that they’re going to get along fine. She drags the two of them around from shop to shop until they finally settle down at The Three Broomsticks, where Farlan complains about having to go into almost every store with them just before Isabel _not-so-accidentally_ spills her Butterbeer all over him.

 

x

 

“You’re doing it wrong.”

Isabel glances from the Hippogriff to Farlan, noting the way they were both pensively staring at each other. Farlan frowns and takes another step forward before Isabel grabs him and tugs him backward, making a _tsk_ noise. “Didn’t you listen at all? If you just walk up to it you’re gonna get hurt. You have to be respectful.”

“What would _you_ know about respectful?”

She rolls her eyes and pushes him back. “Watch and learn.” she winks, before turning back toward the giant creature. She straightens herself out and bows, waiting a beat for the Hippogriff to return the gesture. She grins when it dips down itself, bobbing over to it to gently brush her hand over it’s neck.

Farlan gapes as she turns back to smirk at him. “And _that’s_ how you do it.”

 

x

 

Christmas break is long and boring without either of her friends, especially with her dad gone half the time anyway. She’s bouncing a ball off her bedroom wall and catching it again and again when an owl swoops in and drops a letter onto her lap. She glances up, surprised, then not surprised because it’s Farlan’s owl, a tawny thing that perches on her dresser to take a rest. She rips it open and unfolds the paper.

_Iz_ , it starts out, in careful writing that looks less like a teenage boy’s and more like an adult’s. It’s probably better than hers, which makes her jealous--for a second.

It’s mostly just random stuff, this and that about his Christmas break and how he sent Levi an owl earlier but he never responded and _hey, your address is kind of odd, I never asked but are you muggle-born_?

(Just to make a point, she writes back with a mechanical _pencil_.)

 

x

 

Farlan’s just about to go to bed when he receives a letter back. It’s from Isabel and reads:

“ _yes i’m a muggle-born, if it really matters i’m sitting at home watching television and talking on the “fellytone” as i write this. you purebloods are so weird. talking on the phone is way faster than writing a letter anyway???_

_i wouldn’t worry about levi, he’s not really a letter-writer. cool to know your break is fun, i’m bored out of my skull. it’s a lot less fun getting into trouble when you two aren’t around._

_p.s. maybe some break you can come visit my place. it’d be pretty interesting to see you try and work the internet.”_

 

x

 

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and maybe it’s true, because when Isabel sees Farlan and Levi after break she pulls them both into a massive hug.

And Isabel buys like _fifty_ chocolate frogs and shovels them in like she’s never had chocolate before and Farlan can’t help but stare because where does it all go?

They talk about their break and then Isabel passes out on Farlan’s shoulder and drools on his sweater which makes Levi send him a look that just screams “ _better you than me, sucker_.”

Farlan doesn’t have the heart to shove her off.

 

x

 

“Let’s sneak out and look around the Forbidden Forest tonight.”

Isabel’s pretty blue eyes are sparkling as she suggests it and even Levi looks interested, which makes Farlan half-sigh because there was absolutely zero percent chance of talking them out of it.

They meet up at eleven-thirty, brooms in hand, and take off. It’s cold as hell and fuckfuck _fuck_ why did any of them think this was a good idea?

But Isabel looks so happy, red bangs blowing out of her face and breath visible and teeth gleaming as she grins that Farlan can’t even complain.

( Even Levi looks amused as they fly toward the forest, adrenaline burning more than the frost bites.)

They spend twenty minutes exploring before Isabel gets frustrated and sighs, saying: “All that’s here is _trees_!”

And Levi looks at her like she’s stupid and says “Really, I wouldn’t have thought there’d be trees in the Forbidden _Forest_.”

Then she scowls and replies “Well I was hoping we could see more of the _forbidden_ part.”, just before backing up into the hind leg of a _really_ large, _really_ angry three headed dog.

They all three scream and jump back up on their broomsticks and take off so fast that the scenery is nothing but blurry darkness as they laugh so hard they’re practically crying, hearts thumping and feeling like they just looked death in the eye and escaped without a scratch.

(There’s some commotion outside after they run but they’re all three quick enough that they escape without getting caught, free to catch each other's eyes during class and smirk about it the next day.)

 

x

 

“No, Iz, like _this_.” Farlan says, grabbing her wand hand to show her the proper motion to cast the charm yet _again_. It’s Easter holidays and Farlan stayed at Hogwarts to help Isabel, who stayed because Farlan insisted she wouldn’t pass the year if she didn’t.

She’s _tired_ and _grumpy_ and finally all caught up with her homework so _couldn’t he leave her alone, just for like one day?_

Standing directly behind her, he’s guiding her hand and Isabel is so tempted to lean back and headbutt his jaw to make a quick escape. But instead she snatches it back with an irritated sigh and whips around, only to find her face much closer to his than she had been expecting.

She blinks once, twice, and loses her train of thought--all before giving a swift kick to his shin and running off while she had the chance.

 

x

 

“So did you pass?”

Isabel smirks at him.

“Of _course_ I did!”

 

x

 

“So, Slytherin wins House Cup _again_ this year.”

Farlan’s grin is smug as he wraps his arms around Isabel and Levi at the Gryffindor table, leaning between them to bump all three’s foreheads together. Levi rolls his eyes as Isabel sticks her tongue out at him.

“We’ll win next year! Even if I have to drag you out by the forest and do a Full Body-Bind Curse on you so you’ll get caught outside of curfew.”

He smirks. “If that’s how we’re playing it, bring it on, Magnolia.”

 

x

 

The first the week of break passes uneventfully, until Farlan receives a letter from an owl that’s in Isabel’s handwriting. It doesn’t start with _dear_ or end with _sincerely_ , all it has is an address and then,

“my dad’s gone for two weeks so you should come hang out, i’ll show you how to play video games.”

Farlan doesn’t even bother to send an owl back, simply tells his parents where he’s headed and flies off.

(They always were overly trusting of him.)

 

x

 

It’s the middle of the night and Isabel is laying in bed watching TV and something taps on her window and she nearly has a heart attack.

“Couldn’t you have just knocked on the _door_?” she asks as she opens the window and pops out the screen, and Farlan climbs in, beaming.

“Could’ve, but what fun is that?”

She informs him that Levi is coming tomorrow and then boots up her gaming console, passing the controller to him and laughing as he struggles to coordinate the movements to the on-screen character.

 

x

 

And when Levi finally arrives at noon the next day, Isabel has the entire day planned out. First they school Farlan in a game of H-O-R-S-E (“That’s not fair, you can’t expect me to know how to play a muggle game!”), go to the two-dollar theater, grab some ice cream, and light some guys shoes on fire.

(In their defense, he _had_ cut in front of them. That part wasn’t planned.)

Then, last but not least, she drags them to go Go-Karting and Farlan looks like he’s about to die laughing when the person at the desk tells her she’s not tall enough to drive one on her own.

Her eyes flash dangerously, but Farlan swallows his laughter and hands the muggle money over before dragging Isabel out toward the karts.

Levi gets in a single-seater and smirks at her as Isabel looks at him desperately, eyes begging for him to rescue her and have them ride together instead. But he buckles himself in and Farlan’s looking at her expectantly, hands on the wheel.

“Have you… Ever touched a steering wheel in your life?”

“Not once.”

He’s beaming and the color is draining from her face and the guy who starts the race is glaring at her to _hurry up_ and somehow she finds herself in the kart seated next to Farlan, face as pale as the fingers gripping her seatbelt are.

(She ends up being absolutely correct in the assumption this was going to end up disastrous, and absolutely wrong in the assumption that it wouldn’t be nearly as fun. In his desire to get ahead of Levi, Farlan ends up accidentally boosting the engine with magic and they spin out, slamming into one of the fences meant to keep the karts _in_. They dash off and jump the fence before they have to explain themselves, running all the way back to Isabel’s to hide.)

 

x

 

A few weeks before school starts back up Farlan’s owl swoops into Isabel’s house and drops off an envelope, taking off as quickly as it arrived.

She rips the envelope open and a few photographs come fluttering out, all pictures of the three of them taken when they were together. She vaguely remembers Farlan having a camera he was carrying around as she looks through them, smiling as she spots a picture of her and Farlan that Levi must have taken.

The photograph replays the scene of her reaching for the TV remote as he holds it up over her head, before she finally tackles him to the ground and sits on him while he gives a defeated shrug toward the camera.

(There’s a couple other pictures that make her smile, too, like one of all three of them making stupid faces or her smashing food in Levi’s hair, but she keeps turning back to the remote one to laugh again and again.)

 

x

 

Isabel bursts into the compartment just barely before the train takes off to bring them to Hogwarts for their fourth year, grin wide and hair all over the place and holding something in a cage.

“What is that?” Levi asks, eyeing it as she plops the covered cage down at her feet and sits between him and Farlan. She gives him a bright grin, leaning over to rip off the blanket covering it.

“A bunny!”

And a bunny was right. A small, orange thing with tiny ears and more fur than it looked like it needed, they both blinked as Isabel beamed.

“... ‘S kinda cute.” Farlan finally says, bending down to look at it in the eye. “Just like me! Hey, there, li’l me.”

Isabel rolls her eyes, unlatching the top of the cage to scoop it up in her arms. “I think he’s way cuter than you. Here, Levi, wanna hold him?”

She passes the rabbit toward Levi and he takes it, lifting it up to get a better look at it. The bunny twitches it’s nose at him.

“You know, he actually does look a little bit like Farlan. With the crazy hair and everything.”

Farlan lets out a laugh that probably shook the entire train, bumping into Isabel as she purses her lips. “Ha! Here, lemme see ‘im. My official mini-me. What’s his name, anyway?”

Isabel opens her mouth to say something about it being her rabbit, but quickly shuts it again and the mention of a name. “Uh…”

“Church.”

Isabel and Farlan both snap their gazes back to Levi, who’s looking at the rabbit currently cradled in Farlan’s arms. He tips his head. “Wha?”

“No, not you, the bunny. A little Farlan Church. Church.”

There’s a few beats of silence before Farlan grins. “Genius, Levi! A little Church!”

“But-- We don’t even know if it’s a boy!”

Levi shrugs. “Boy or not, you can’t deny it doesn’t look like him. Besides, why does Church have to be a boy name anyway?”

Isabel glances back toward Farlan, who’s holding the bunny next to his face for comparison. She groans.

“Oh, fine.”

The rest of the trip to the school was spent celebrating their new friend.

 

x

 

The first half of the school year was spent uneventfully, with Church somehow becoming the trio’s _shared_ pet. They would take turns with who got him when, a rotation of _Isabel, Levi, Farlan, Isabel, Levi, Farlan_.

It made Isabel slightly nervous, Church spending time down in the Slytherin Dungeon, but she couldn’t deny that at least he always smelt good when he was returned to her to snuggle up with at night.

(Until it occurs to her one night that she’s probably smelling _Farlan_ on him, which splits her emotions into wanting to put him in his cage and pretend the thought never occurred and wanting to snuggle even closer.)

 

x

 

“I think I’m gonna stick around Hogwarts this winter break.” 

Farlan gives her a surprised look but she shrugs, sitting down next to him and shoveling another piece of pie into her mouth. “Dad’s gone on some… Business trip, I think, maybe. I don’t really know, but he’s not home and it’s boring there anyway.”

He’s quiet for a moment, before clearing his throat. “You could… Come visit my place. I can ask my parents.”

Isabel blinks at him as her eyes light up, and before he even has time to predict it she throws her arms around him.

“Thank you Farlan! You’re the best idiot in the wizarding world!”

(He’s not sure if he’s supposed to be offended or not, but it’s Isabel so he just hugs her back.)

 

x

 

Farlan’s parents are nice and he’s got his dad’s eyes and his mom’s nose, but meeting family is always awkward and she’s fairly certain his mom has the wrong idea.

“You must be the girl that’s keepin’ my son out of trouble!” she says, brightly, and both Isabel and Farlan almost choke. She prattles on, unperturbed and Isabel can practically feel Farlan’s mortification when she says “And you must really be somethin’ special, since Farlan’s never brought home a girl before and _especially_ not one so pretty as you.”

Isabel smiles sweetly as Farlan manages out a “Mum, _stop_ , ‘s not like that!” and smirks at him from across the kitchen table.

 

x

 

Isabel thinks about teasing him for the way that his Scottish accent grows thicker around his family, but doesn’t because he seems so at home and in his element it almost seemed like a crime to make fun of him for that. Instead she listens carefully to all their conversations, getting so wrapped up in the accent that sometimes she’d forget to speak herself.

(And then there was that one time that Farlan said something so obvious to her that she rolled her eyes and said “You don’t _say._ ”, but the _you_ came out more like _ya_ and the lilt in her voice changed and Farlan gave her such a smug look that she practically flew across the couch to smother him with a pillow.)

 

x

 

“You… You really didn’t need to do this.”

Isabel stares at the necklace in the box she unwraps, holding it up to see the rubies sparkle under the Christmas lights. It’s silver and red and so gorgeous that she immediately wants to try it on.

“Oh, dear, it’s fine. Besides, Farlan’s the one who picked it out.”

She glances at him and he rubs the back of his head, avoiding her gaze. She smiles, placing the necklace carefully back in the box and pulling out a present of her own.

“Here, for you.”

He opens it up and both he and his parents blink in confusion at the white box as Isabel laughs.

“It’s my old Wii! A video game system, so you can play Mario Kart all you want. Look, it even comes with a wheel.”

Isabel grins as he pulls out the matching white wheel, before they both burst into laughter as his parents watch on in a happy confusion.

 

x

 

She’s standing in the kitchen, the night before break ends, to get herself a glass of water and go back to bed. She grabs a cup with a shaky hand and begins to fill it just as Farlan speaks behind her, causing her to nearly drop the glass.

“What are you doing?”

She claps a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, whipping around to face him in the dark.

“J-Just getting a glass of water.” Not entirely a lie. “Shouldn’t you be going to bed? We’re headed back tomorrow, you know.”

He purses his lips and stares at her, usual cheerful glint in his eye gone. She shrinks under his gaze, wanting to back up further but already pushed to the edge of the counter.

“You’re not wearing the necklace.” he points out, and she gives him a confused stare.

“... No? Why would I wear it to bed, what if I broke it or something?”

Farlan sighs, taking her in once more. She’s still shaking, a pale figure in a dark room. “You had a nightmare, didn’t you? No-- Don’t try and deny it, Levi already told me about them. Figured I should know in case ya had one over Christmas break.”

Her eyes lower to the ground as he continues. “He didn’t tell me why, so don’ worry about that. Just go put on the necklace, it’s enchanted to keep your mind clear from nightmares at night.”

She blinks back tears as she meets his gaze again, before throwing herself toward him to wrap him in a tight embrace.

He holds her until she falls back asleep, then carries her back into the spare room and secures the necklace around her neck, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her face before returning to his own.

 

x

 

“So I was thinking we should all go to Hogsmeade for Valentine’s day, because it’s better than hanging around the castle with the first and second years. Don’t you think?”

Farlan nods in agreement as he spoons more soup into his mouth but Levi pauses, gaze flicking from Isabel to Farlan and back again before plainly announcing: “I can’t.”

Isabel and Farlan both gape at him.

“What do ya mean ya _can’t_?”

“I mean I have other plans that day and can’t go to Hogsmeade with you two, have fun.”

Her look of shock turns into one of pure mischief as she looks at Farlan, sharing a smirk. Dramatically reaching over the table toward him, she smacks her hands on it--

“I can’t believe Levi has a date! Oh, how _could_ he--”

“I thought _we_ were his true loves, Iz!”

“What a traitor--”

“Who else could he find to put up with his cranky attitude?”

“Oh, woe is us, a hurdle has been thrown into our everlasting--”

Isabel doesn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as Levi flicks a brussel sprout into her mouth with precise aim, efficiently shutting her up. He sends a sharp look to Farlan, who’s mouth is tightly shut as Isabel struggles to swallow the vegetable.

 

x

 

“I don’t see him anywhere, Far.” Isabel complains as she slumps down outside Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, crossing her arms to pout. Farlan frowns, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“This was your idea, anyway. If Levi wants to have a date, just leave ‘im be.”

She huffs. “Like you aren’t curious too. Oh well, I’m tired. Let’s go to Honeydukes.”

He helps her up off the ground and she dusts herself off, catching a glance at Levi as she bends down. She jerks back up and grabs Farlan, dragging him behind the Tea Shop and smacking at his arm.

“Farlan, _Farlan_ , _Farlan_ look!” she’s pointing and hitting his arm for extra punctuation until he catches her hand and she doesn’t even care, she’s so excited. “Look at who’s with him! Look, _look_!”

“I’m lookin’, I’m _lookin’_!” he releases her hand and peers around, hovering over her. A sign is in the way of the other person but he can barely just catch Levi--

“That’s _Eren Jaeger_ , a third year! Only the best Gryffindor Beater there’s been in _years_. I’ll bet anything he’s confessing his love to Levi, or something. About to be turned down-- He just went into The Three Broomsticks with him.”

 Isabel looks like she was about to dart toward them, just before Farlan grabs her shoulders and spins her around. “Iz, let’s just go--”

“Go see what they’re up to? Yeah I agree, we can make it look like a coincidence--”

“Orrrr we could go to Honeydukes an’ I’ll buy you some Chocolate Frogs.”

She pauses, caught, before finally sighing.

“... Fine. I guess he’ll tell me later if he wants to.”

 

x

 

Isabel manages to not pester Levi about what she had seen for the rest of February and March, and neither Farlan or Levi talk about it. Things go back to relatively normal until Isabel turns to Farlan one day in April during Potions, eyes unfocused, begins to say something and then promptly passes out.

 

x

 

She wakes up in the infirmary, dazed, with Levi setting next to her. He’s scowling at her when she comes to, and she blinks at him, feeling a bit like maybe someone had just let a group of hippogriffs loose on her.

“Hi.” her voice is hoarse and even surprises her. He stares at her for a few moments, grimacing.

“You look like shit.”

She laughs, then winces when it hurts her throat. “Thanks. Love you too, Levi.”

“If you were that sick, you should have told someone. None of us even knew.” he replies back, eyebrows pushed together. She rolls her eyes, attitude still present even when she’s sick.

“I’m not sick, it’s just the sniffles.”

“You _passed out_ in Potions class.”

“Extreme sniffles. Allergies, even.”

He gives an irritated sigh and stops her when she attempts to sit up. She feels so weak that she doesn’t even fight back, just flops back onto the pillow and groans. Levi’s face softens at the sound and he leans forward to ruffle her hair.

“You scared the shit out of Farlan, you know. He’s been so worried he’s forging teacher’s notes to come visit you during classes.”

Isabel opens her eyes back up and looks at him. “ _Really_?”

“Really.”

She gives a small sigh and covers her face with her hands. “I’m sorry.” she croaks. “I just thought it was a small cold or something and I’d get over it.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m sorry too because Farlan told me you’ve been stressed out, which is probably what caused this. Apparently you’ve been trying to figure out if there’s anything going on between me and the Jaeger kid.”

She peeks between her fingers at him. “Is there?”

“You’re too meddlesome. I’m not going to tell you.”

If she had had the strength, she probably would have grabbed the pillow behind her and smacked him with it.

He reads the expression on her face and chuckles, a rare sound that makes Isabel almost want to smile. “I’m kidding. Don’t get so worked up. Yeah, we’re sort of a thing, if you need to know.”

“I knew it!” she shouts--or tries to, anyway, except her voice comes out as a whisper because her throat is so sore. “I’ve been watching him whenever I see you two in the same vicinity, and I can _always_ tell when two people like each other.”

Levi makes a noise that sounds like a snicker. “Except for yourself, I guess.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” he stands up from the chair next to the bedside, stretching and grabbing his books. “I’ve gotta go to class. The nurse left that potion for you, she said it’d make you as good as new tomorrow. Farlan will probably be here pretty soon.” he pauses, leaning back down to ruffle her red tresses one more time. “Get better soon, dummy.”

 

x

 

By the time Farlan arrives, Isabel had already drank the potion and felt better. _Much_ better, to the point that the room was swaying slightly and she thinks maybe her bed has grown wings and is lifting her higher and higher and then bringing her back down slowly.

He sits down in the chair next to her bed and presses a palm to her forehead before he even says anything, which makes her smile softly at him. He finally breaks his light scowl at that, pulling his hand away and sighing.

“You really scared the shit out of me, Iz.”

“Shorry.” she says, slurring the word and holding the o-sound too long. He frowns, before noticing the empty vial next to her and sighing.

“‘S okay. How do you feel?”

“Amazing.” she says, honestly. He actually chuckles a little bit at that. “You know, you could proooobably like… Hide Church in your hair. Oh!” she gasps suddenly, sitting up in the bed so quickly that her head spins. “Where’s Church!?”

“L-Lay back down, Iz, jeez.” he pushes her back gently and she falls onto the sheets. “Levi’s got ‘im, don’t worry.”

“Oh good. Make sure he doesn’t eat him, okay?”

Farlan actually laughs at that one, earning a big smile from Isabel. “Yeah, okay, I’ll do my best. This’ll probably change our rotation schedule, though, so I’ll get him right after you--”

“No!” she shouts it so suddenly and so loud that in fear of being kicked out, he smacks his hand over her mouth. She licks it and he pulls away, curling his upper lip in disgust. “You can’t, I _have_ to have Church after you.”

“Oh, jeez. Alright alright. Why so adamant?”

“Becauuuuse…” she looks around like she’s looking out for anybody who might be hiding in the shadows, listening, and then waves him closer. “Wanna hear a secret?”

Farlan has to keep his grin down. Anything she says in this state is sure to be hilarious. “Sure. Shoot.”

“Well,” she starts, once she decides he’s close enough, “Because if we changed the order, Church wouldn’t smell like you anymore and sometimes I like to pretend I’m cuddling you instead!”

Farlan chokes on his own spit and Isabel slaps her hands over her mouth like she just revealed someone _else’s_ secret. And then he’s trying to figure out an appropriate thing to say _back_ to that confession when her eyes start drooping and she yawns and then she’s falling asleep, as simple as that.

(He stays there for the rest of the night, brushing sweaty hair out of her face while she tosses and turns and mumbles, thinking about what this new information _means_.)

 

x

 

By the end of the year Isabel realizes that this summer was their last summer to really have fun, because after were O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s and apparating class and she’s determined that the three of them are going to hang out and make as many memories as possible.

(And she can’t quite decide if it’s her imagination or what, but she swears that Farlan’s been acting a little strange around her ever since she passed out in class and she’s apologized a _thousand_ times but it’s not changing anything. And if she questions Levi he only shrugs or maybe gives her a half-smile half-smirk and it’s frustrating but there’s nothing she can do so she just pretends like there’s nothing off at all, because really, there _shouldn’t_ be.)

So she gets her own camera and they go to places like the lake and around town and muggle cafes and it’s _fun_ , it really is--but when she gets the pictures developed Farlan still has that awkward smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes and even in the _photographs_ you could see him acting strange.

She grinds her teeth together and leaves the photographs scattered on the table, marching to the nearest magical place she can think of to throw powder into a fireplace and disappear in a flash of green fire.

 

x

 

In hindsight, Isabel considers herself extremely lucky that she happened to march into Farlan’s home when both of his parents were out. But in the moment she’s thinking about nothing other than _what the hell is wrong with him well i’m about to find out_.

He’s so shocked to see her stomp into his room without so much as knocking that she’s able to catch him off guard, grabbing the collar of his shirt to bring them down to eye level.

“What’s your _issue_?” she shouts, teeth gnashing together. He finally comes to his senses enough to pry her hands off of him and hold them away from him so she doesn’t try to grab him again when he replies, “What are _you doing_?”

She snatches back her hands and glares up at him, crossing her arms. “Don’t ask me that, I’m the one trying to get answers here. Why have you been acting so weird to me? Did I do something that offended you?”

And then he freezes and Isabel is reminded of a wild animal, the way his eyes dart at the door--but instead he sighs and runs a hand through his already-messy locks.

“Merlin, Iz, I thought you were possessed for a second. How’d you even get here?”

“Floo.” she snaps, tapping an impatient foot on the ground. “Don’t change the subject.”

He stares at her for a long moment, before sighing again and slumping back onto his bed.

“Ya just… Said some weird stuff when you were sick.”

Isabel looks like she’s about ready to tear her pigtails right out of her head. “What did I _say_ that would make you so upset with me?”

“Not upset!” he’s quick to correct her, meeting her gaze this time. “Just caught me off guard, and it wasn’t even that, really, but after I told Levi what you said he pointed out some things that maybe I had been tryin’ to ignore--”

“What did I _say_?”

“Just, ah… Some stuff about you snuggling Church and pretending it was me. That wasn’t it, though, because I could have just chalked that up to the potion you had but then I told Levi and Levi made me realize that maybe, I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you--No, fuck, not like that! Well not _not_ like-- Shit, I fucked up--”

Isabel approaches him so fast he doesn’t even have time to prepare before she presses their lips together, awkwardly and so aggressively that their noses bump together and their teeth somehow clack but before he can even wrap an arm around her she’s pulling away and sending him an unreadable backward glance before taking off again, leaving him shell-shocked and warm.

 

x

 

They don’t talk for the rest of the summer.

(Not even through letters.)

 

x

 

Levi seriously considers leaving them together in the compartment to work out their issues because he has no idea what happened but clearly something did and now neither of them can look each other in the eye.

And then they arrive and there’s the opening ceremony and the first years are being sorted but Isabel isn’t paying attention at all, because she keeps sneaking glances across the hall to where Farlan was sitting with the other Slytherins. Levi kicks her under the table and she blinks at him like she just came out of a trance, dazed, as he grabs her head and turns it toward him.

“What happened between you and Farlan.”

It’s not phrased as a question so much as a command and she gapes at him, closing her mouth and opening it again and closing it again. Levi glances across the hall and Farlan’s looking at both of them and then Isabel follows his gaze and they meet each other’s eyes and look away like it physically burns.

Levi grits his teeth and goes to question her again but then there’s food and she’s shoveling it into her mouth at the speed of sound, giving him a sheepish smile between bites.

(And he _swears_ he’s this close to just handcuffing them together for a couple of hours and letting them work it out, because seriously--unless they murdered someone together, this was some primary school shit.)

 

x

 

“You need to do something. She’s been locking herself up in the Girl’s Dormitory, _studying_.”

Farlan grimaces.

“Yeah, okay, okay.”

 

x

 

Isabel gets an owl on the morning of Halloween. It says:

 

“ _meet me where we first met tonight_

 

_-farlan_ ”

 

She looks to see if Farlan is watching her, but he’s chatting up some other Slytherin. With a stiff lower lip, she pockets the letter and returns to her pancakes.

 

x

 

She arrives at the railing around eleven, because even though he didn’t specify a time, she assumed it would be around the same time they originally met and she hopes Farlan had the same thought 

He does.

This time he notices her first, the rubies on the necklace he picked out for her shining bright in the dimness of the corridor and setting off her red hair like a horizon sunset.

(He kind of just wants to watch her for awhile but she’s starting to look anxious and also, if she happens to spot him that’s going to be hard to explain and Merlin _knows_ they don’t need any more awkwardness right now.)

So he starts toward her and she finally turns her eyes on him and he can’t even count all the emotions that he sees flicker through them.

And neither of them really know what to say so he walks up to her and swoops her into a big hug and spins her around and she lets out a scream and they both freeze, hearing rushed footsteps.

And then it’s just like deja-vu, or maybe more like book-ends, because they’re running again but instead of scrambling in different directions he grabs her hand and they’re running _together,_ just trying to avoid getting caught and she doesn’t even notice that he’s tugging her toward the Slytherin Common Room until the green fills her vision.

She’d honestly never been in here before, but she doesn’t have much time to take it all in because the footsteps are still behind them and Farlan lets out a stream of swears under his breath and then he’s lifting her back up, carrying her to the Boy’s Dormitory.

Then he tosses her on the bed and pulls back the covers and buries them both as they hold their breaths and wait for the footsteps to grow closer, and then fade away.

They can finally breathe and Isabel’s trying so hard not to laugh she’s practically in tears, curled up against Farlan’s chest under the safety of a Slytherin-green comforter. He wraps his arms around her and smiles into her hair and then she looks up and presses their lips together again and this time their teeth _don’t_ clank, and everything is absolutely perfect.

(Until Farlan whispers “So who’s a better snuggler, bunny Church or _real_ Church” and she kicks him so hard he slips off the bed and wakes up some of the other boys and Isabel has to keep two hands over her mouth so she doesn’t burst into laughter and blow their cover.)

 

x

 

She sneaks back into the Gryffindor Tower at an unholy time in the morning, and doesn’t even see Levi sitting in the common room until he coughs when she’s making her way toward the Girl’s Dorm.

“You’re up early.” she comments.

“You’re out late.” he counters, and she grins and turns back toward the stairs.

 

x

 

This year, all three of them decide to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holidays and Isabel swears it’s third year Easter Break all over again.

Farlan is trying to show her the formula for Cross-Species Transfiguration (something that he says she should have memorized _last_ year) when she glares at him and announces that if he doesn’t shut up and take a break with her she’s going to shove her wand up his nose.

(They end up taking a trip to Hogsmeade, despite Farlan’s protests, and somehow he gets roped into buying their trio all Butterbeers.)

 

x

 

She wakes up on Valentine’s day and there’s a literal _mountain_ of Chocolate Frogs at the end of her bed.

She doesn’t even need to check the card to know who it’s from, but she’s glad she does because a little photograph of Farlan smooching her cheek as she rolls her eyes falls out and she snorts at it--

But tucks it under her pillow anyway.

 

x

 

They receive their O.W.L.s back, and no one is surprised when Farlan has the best scores out of them all, with almost straight E’s in every class.

Isabel’s just glad she managed A’s in most of them, and she can tell Levi feels the same way. Farlan gapes when he sees her score in Care of Magical Creatures, looking at the paper in disbelief.

“That one was my lowest grade, my only A.” he states, and Isabel smirks.

“Guess that means that--”

“Yeah, yeah, get it out.”

“I--”

“Sure, sure,”

“ _WIN_.”

She punctuates the last part by tackling him off his chair, standing up to put a foot on his chest and fist-pump.

“Eloquent.”

She grins at Levi. “I always am!”

 

x

 

She spends almost all of summer break at Farlan’s house, as Levi comes and goes. One night she’s sitting on the couch, resting her head against his shoulder when he says--

“Only two more years left, huh.”

She’s halfway asleep when she replies with an “mmhm”, which makes him bump against her slightly.

“You’re not s’posed to fall asleep when I’m tryin’ to have a conversation, here. What do you think you wanna do? Y’know, after we graduate.”

She grunts and slides off his shoulder, flopping to the side and resting her feet on him instead. “Be a dragon.”

He laughs, and then pauses for a moment. “Actually, Iz, that’s not a bad idea for you.”

She opens her eyes just enough to squint at him. “Becoming a dragon? Kind of a stretch, I’m bad enough at transfigurations as is--”

“No, not _literally_.” he rolls his eyes. “Become a Magizoologist. You’re good enough with animals.”

“Oh.” she makes a small humming noise, closing her eyes again. “Maybe. What do you wanna do?”

“When I was little, I wanted to be an auror.” he says earnestly. Isabel’s lips twitch up in a smile at that.

“Isn’t that like, catching wizards that have gone bad or something? You’d be good at that.”

“Maybe.”

She opens her eyes to smile at him, just before dozing off again.

 

x

 

Sixth year is busier than they expect and even though they don’t technically have any exams--other than the Apparition test, that is-- the homework is so piled up and there’s so much studying to do for the N.E.W.T.s that it practically makes up for it.

But she’s happy to be there and happy to actually be somewhat understanding the material and _especially_ happy to sit by the lake when it’s not yet freezing out, watching first years make idiots out of themselves with Farlan.

(It’s actually one of her favorite pastimes, watching first years do stupid things. She’s got a kind of mean streak in her like that.)

 

x

 

Halloween comes and it turns into a sort of tradition, for Isabel to sneak into the Slytherin boys dorm after meeting Farlan by the balcony.

Except this year she’s not wearing her necklace and he questions it, making her avert her eyes to stare at her shoes.

“‘Cause I don’t need it to sleep when I’m with you.” she answers, and he swoops her into the tightest hug she’s ever felt and they fall asleep, without Isabel needing to worry about seeing her mom’s bloody battered body trapped in the confines of a car appearing in her dreams.

 

x

 

Farlan, Levi, and Isabel all three manage to pass the apparition test, though no one in the class manages to get it as spot-on as Levi does. _Surprised_ isn’t the right word, but Isabel will admit she wasn’t expecting it.

(Truth is, Levi’s been apparating way before he ever was old enough to get his license and he’s not at all surprised when he passes without a hitch. Easiest class he’s ever taken.)

 

x

 

They all three go back to their own homes for Christmas break and Isabel makes sure to write both of them almost every day, even though Levi was much worse about replying.

(But hey, at least he was making an effort this year.)

She’s replying back to Farlan because in his last one he’s asking questions about the new video game he had just bought and she signs the end of it with _love you, iz_ and doesn’t even think about it until after it’s sent and she’s watching the owl fly off.

And it’s ridiculous because they had been --well, practically-- dating for a year now, but she feels nervous and when her reply comes in the form of a Howler, of all things, she doesn’t feel much better.

Except there’s a regular letter along with it where Farlan talks more about the game and then at the end it says “now open the howler ;)” so she nervously reaches for it and rips it open and it screeches:

 

“LOVE YOU TOO, IZ

 

LOVE, FARLAN

 

(P.S. IS THAT TOO MANY LOVES?)”

 

before bursting into flames.

 

(Isabel laughs so hard she’s pretty sure she pops a six-pack.)

 

x

 

Life moves on.

Of course, things happen in between Christmas of 6th year and graduation, like Farlan finally meeting Isabel’s dad and their trio spending their last summer break together and Isabel putting together a scrapbook of all the pictures the three of them ever took and maybe even crying a little.

Maybe.

And Isabel becomes an Magizoologist and Farlan really does train do Auror training and Levi becomes the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to the surprise of almost everyone.

And when the graduation caps are all floating in the air and the seventh years are cheering, Farlan pulls out a ruby ring as red as her necklace and her hair and the horizon sunset and asks her to marry him.

 

x

 

The wedding isn’t too big or too small, but just the right size, and not even the ring-bearer Church the Bun hopping off the aisle pathway and Levi having to go hunt him down and bring him to them can make it anything other than beautiful.

(It’s just another beginning.)

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote 80% of this in one night and the harry potter wikia is burned into my retinas from all the research i had to do.


End file.
